For those not familiar with me and are wondering if a session(s) would be a good use of your time I am an IT Recruiter with 12 years of experience and have been speaking to groups of all ages and skill sets in groups of 20-200 for 8 years and now online.

Over the years 12,000+ have participated in Recruiter, HR and career related sessions both in person and online.

I am the Managing Partner of Nerd Search, LLC a Minneapolis IT search firm, author of the Minnesota Headhunter blog, Co Founder and Coordinator of Minnesota Recruiters, listed as a Top 20 Minnesota Social Media Innovator and a national Top 25 Most Influential Online Recruiter.

I am a frequent national and local speaker and article contributor on recruiter, HR, career, networking and social media topics.

I do not say that stuff to be cool rather so you know that the material comes from a credible source and someone who uses these tools every day.

Sessions are very interactive (your questions are wanted) including the use of demos. My goal is not to talk to you for 60 – 90 minutes but to have a conversation and share ideas.

I do teach a more aggressive approach to the use of LinkedIn, Twitter, Social Media in general than most do and specifically to the job seekers, give you a kick in the pants.

Here is some background on presentations and interviews I have been a part of:

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” - Steve Jobs

Technically speaking (no pun intended), not all of the companies and institutions on this list are Technology specific (in fact, most are not). The point of this list, provided by Computer World, is to point out the best places to work if you are in IT.

These institutions leverage technology in their industries in a way that make them great places to work (rather than the largest, most profitable companies). Today's list of companies range from telecommunications to universities.

I spent some time with my buddy and his two daughters. While not family we really are and to be “Uncle Paul” is one of the coolest things. I am very fortunate that so many of my friends have allowed me to play this role even if we do not see each as frequently as we would like.

Everywhere you look today, another Smartphone is born. I’m currently sporting the HTC, and I swear, this thing was beamed down from outer space, complete with alien technology. Seriously though, I think I understand only about 25% of what this thing can do for me, and I learn a something new about its capability, everyday.

Whether you’re using the iPhone, a Blackberry, or any other new fangled communication device, did you realize you can handle every aspect of your job search – from your cell phone? Today, I’m going to give you the top five ways you can uncover your next job without ever opening a newspaper or logging back in to your computer again! “Beam me up, Scotty” – I’m ready to find my next job.

Every time I see story about people searching for people on the Internet and that people are shocked to learn this is going on shocks me.

(I swear I have written that line before. Oh wait, I have)

Seriously, we search for everything online so it should not be shock that others are searching for us online.

I was out with some friends for dinner and it was clear that one person at the table had used Google to find stuff about me. How do I know? They knew stuff no one else did and could only have gotten it from a blog post, news article or Facebook.

Starting with a useless fact but it means a lot to those of us in Minnesota... It looks like what is usually the snowiest (or second most) month of the year will end with no snow for the first time since records starting being tallied. I have 100 years and 116 years. Whatever, that’s a mighty long time.

Yes, this is a big deal. While enjoyable I do wonder how this will impact the drought we are carrying over from last year.

But the “I want to get outside” guy in me is thrilled.

Sometimes, it’s the simple things....

Healthcare Reform

Why does everyone call this healthcare reform? It is health insurance reform and I still wonder why they did not go after the healthcare stuff first. There is so much money to be saved. And why is it that some of this does not kick in for four years?

Knowing where to find a job is the first step. In today’s career search, the Internet is vital. Gone are the days of faxing and door-to-door marketing. (Although, do not discount those methods!) Email and the Internet are here and they are not going any where, any time soon!

Most companies utilize an applicant tracking system and tailor their searches to Internet job boards. Similarly, most recruiters find potential candidates by searching around on the Internet, using buzzwords found on a resume. Most companies and recruiters want you to email them a resume, so setting up a free email account is essential. Unless a hiring manager networks his or her way directly to you, you are going to have to learn to use the Internet as a main source of finding that right career for you.

On this Sunday morning I found myself wanting to do some cleaning of ideas in my mind. It’s been this way for about a month now and while at moments a painful process I think I am coming to the end of it.

Clarity is an awesome thing and I think maybe I did not know for some time I was without. Kind of like when you clean your windows, you realize how dirty they had been.

Darcy Pohland

I had a really emotional blog post about her but decided against it, I do not think she would have wanted me to remember her that way. Check out Darcy Pohland to see the stories and blog posts that her colleagues have put together.

Darcy and I had one of those friendships where a month might go by without seeing each other but when we bumped into each other an hour or more would go by as we shared what was going on in our lives. That would be the first 30% of the conversation and then the rest about Gopher sports particularly football. We both had tickets and she was one person I knew who could talk more about it than I.

It is a great place to take a stroll, clear one’s mind, have a great conversation, smile because of all the kids who you hear asking their parents questions they cannot answer and generally put your yourself in a new environment.

And it does not hurt that it is warm, humid and the flowers smell really good.

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About & Connect

Welcome to the Minnesota Headhunter Blog. My name is Paul DeBettignies (pronounced De-Bett-ingz). I started writing in 2005 to share thoughts and ideas I had as an IT recruiter.

Since then I expanded this site to include MN IT and Recruiter Jobs, links to Minnesota business news and promote the local tech community.

I am the Principal of Minnesota Headhunter, LLC. I am an Evangelist and Advisor who builds teams with startups and tech companies, creates recruiting strategies for Fortune 500 clients and a frequent local and national speaker and article contributor on recruiter, HR, career, networking and social media topics.